Man’s card cloned, used for transactions in US

A day before Christmas, 35-year-old musician Andrew Ferrao was in Goa, when he received SMSes from his bank about small sums of money being debited from and credited to his account.

Six days later, there was another transaction worth Rs14,122 made using his debit card in the US. However, Ferrao had not made these transactions.

“On December 24, I had used my debit card at a petrol pump at Margao in Goa. Four hours later, I got alerts of Rs. 62 and Rs. 58 being debited from my account, and Rs. 58 that was credited. I did not make much of it till December 30, when a larger transaction was made, said Ferrao, a Santacruz resident.

“The payment slip showed that the transaction had been made via a popular networking site. I got my card blocked immediately,” added Ferrao, following which he approached the local police. “The transaction had been made in the US through a US-based bank. I suspect my card was cloned,” he said.

Ferrao suspects that his card may have been cloned at the petrol pump in Margao. “I had given the attendant my debit card, he went inside the cabin and swiped it,” said Ferrao.

Although he was told by his bank that the amount would be refunded within a week, even after a month he is yet to receive it. “The case was transferred to the fraud department of the bank. The bank has asked for an online complaint again,” said Ferrao.

Ferrao now plans to approach the BKC cyber police to investigate the matter.